Dream Lover
by Honda Katsuya
Summary: Gaara's been dreaming. But what does it all mean? Gaara and his siblings travel to Konoha to find out. Main pairing is LeeGaa. Minor pairings include NaruSaku Sasu-implied , KakaIru, GuyAnko, KanKibaHinaShino, ShikaTema, InoCho, and NejiTen
1. Understanding Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, obviously, or Sasuke would have been dragged back to Konoha by now and Lee and Gaara would be living together.

Spoilers for Shippuden

A/N : This piece of work was formerly titled "Understanding Dreams" and was going to be severely revised so that it would not have female-centric chapters for posting on y!gallery. I have recently decided screw the bastards, I'm reposting this as it was originally intended. This is slightly extended from the original chapter one, though not by much.

--

Gaara was as unused to dreams as he was to peaceful sleep. The first time he dreamed without Shukaku's influence, he found himself in waist-deep water with a strange pink tinged flower with a yellow core floating in front of him. He plucked the blossom only to have it blow away in the wind as he fell backwards into and through the water. Three hours after he had fallen asleep he woke and believed he had been attacked with a genjutsu. It took Temari, Kankuro, and three ANBU to coax him from his lookout perch atop the Kazekage mansion. Temari had spent the rest of the night explaining dreams and that it was normal during sleep. Even half a year after Shukaku's extraction, he continued to ask Temari what his dreams meant. As a result, Temari gave him a notebook to record his dreams as soon as he woke and they would discuss them whenever he had questions about them. The second time he dreamed of the pink flower, the petals fell from the blossom in his hand and wrapped around him in a cocoon. This time, Gaara woke to find himself on the floor tangled in his sheets. As he wrote down his dreams, he would sometimes mark his state of mind upon waking. Confusion, fear, serenity, comfort, and anger were the most common, using a simple "nothing" if he felt no reaction at all.

One night, Gaara found himself reliving an old memory underneath the trees.

"_So you're another one, eh?" _Gaara's voice whispered as Rock Lee looked at him in confusion._ "You have someone in your life whom you honor and revere so much that every hurt inflicted on them is inflicted on you as well, and the closer they are to you, the greater the pain." _Gaara paused in contemplation_. "To feel so strongly for someone you would fight for them," _Gaara's eyes raised towards the field of bones_. "…and die for them. You and Naruto Uzumaki have that in common." _Lee looked taken aback but said nothing_. "However, what if this person you honor and would even die for is not a virtuous person?"_

"_Impossible!" _Lee's voice rang out beside him_. "Such a person…would—would be unworthy of honor or respect!"_

"_No. Perhaps the companionship of even an evil person…is preferable to loneliness." _Gaara's eyes closed as Lee glanced skyward_. "Even if this companionship exists only in your own mind, it is enough." _The wind blew silently between them for several minutes.

"_Gaara?" _Lee moved from his tree closer to the redhead.

"…_hm?" _Gaara opened his eyes to find Lee in front of him_._

"_I only noticed today…just now, in fact. Your eyes are very much like mine were before I met Guy-sensei."_

"_Is that right..." _Gaara droned_. _

"_Is it…you do not have anyone to take the sadness from your eyes?" _As Lee's fingers wiped away tears he was unaware of, Gaara jolted awake. He remembered the fight with the bone kekkei genkai user, but he knew that last part had been imagined. Lee had passed out not long after their talk from exhaustion and he had not been faring much better. Truthfully, he did not remember what exactly _had_ happened after their conversation beneath the trees, too much time had passed. As he reached for his dream log, Gaara wrote a familiar emotion at the top: loneliness.

--

Temari and Kankuro followed behind Gaara as they traversed the desert.

"Why, exactly, are we going to Konoha again?" Kankuro muttered to his sister.

"Beats me. He just woke me up and said we were going to the Leaf Village. Do you actually think I was going to argue with him?" Temari shrugged.

"I was feeling lonely." Temari and Kankuro jumped at the sudden sound of Gaara's voice.

"Well if that's the case, why not just go for a walk around the village? Dozens of girls'd be glad to keep you company," Kankuro smirked as he pulled into step with his brother.

"They are not my friends. They did not want to be my friends until recently. In Konoha…we still owe them a lot. They have accepted us, despite what happened so long ago between our villages. They are…friends." Gaara nodded at his bewildered brother in a way he never would have thought possible more than three years before.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. They're not just allies anymore, they're also our pals. That's why you brought us along, right? We've got friends there too." Kankuro grinned.

"Yes, I know you do." Gaara stared out in front of them at the shifting dunes.

"Seriously, Gaara, what spurred on this sudden need of a vacation?" Kankuro rubbed his neck. This wasn't the old Gaara who would bite his head off without a thought and he didn't even have that monster inside him anymore. "You can tell us."

"Kankuro…I had a dream about the time we went to help them retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. I do not remember what happened after my fight, but I remember you helping me to the Leaf's hospital." Gaara paused. "I felt lonely and upset when I woke, but I do not understand _why_."

"Well, I'm not surprised you can't remember. You and Bushy-Brow were completely spent. I saw those huge fucking bones coming out of the field and I was surprised you two were even alive. When I found you guys you were almost unconscious and he was already out like a light."

"Did you bring your log book with you, Gaara?" Temari caught up to her brothers as they traveled in a straight line together. "They've got a good library in Konoha, so maybe we can translate your dreams easier."

"I have it."

"Is there anything about your dreams you want to discuss while we're on our way?" Temari asked.

"Except for this last one, I've been dreaming of a flower." Gaara turned his eyes slightly in her direction. "It was the same one, present in every other dream but that one."

"What kind of flower was it?"

"I am not certain. I would recognize it if I saw it."

"Gaara? Dreaming about flowers?" Kankuro frowned. "There's something really unsettling about that."

"What do you dream of?" Gaara turned his head towards his other sibling.

"Me?" Kankuro flushed under his face paint. "Er…animals, mostly. Hell, they're still manlier than flowers anyway."

"I could tell you what I dream about," Temari grinned darkly. "But I don't think you boys and your virgin ears could handle it."

"By all means, keep it to yourself," Kankuro snickered.

"Gaara, did you have this dream last night?" Temari frowned as she thought things over. "Did you at least tell the Hokage we were coming?" She raised an eyebrow at her youngest brother.

"She will find out as soon as we get there."

"Oh, she's gonna be real happy to see us." Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"A hawk is on its way and will arrive shortly before we do," Gaara explained. "This leaves her no room to argue or refuse us."

"You think it was okay to leave the old man in charge?" Kankuro glanced back towards the village.

"Baki is loyal and the most trustworthy jounin in Suna. He also knows what I could do to him even without the One-Tail." Gaara pulled forward and ran ahead of them.

"And what _we_ could do to him." Temari smirked as she picked up the new pace.

"Heh. Good point." Kankuro bared his teeth as he sped up.

Gaara delved into his own thoughts again and frowned, unable to explain to them how exactly he felt. Yes, he had woken up feeling lonely, but also had a sense of disappointment he was unfamiliar with. He could only hope his trip to Konoha would yield the answers he sought.

--

Gaara watched his siblings as they slept in their makeshift sandstorm shelter. They were mere hours from Konoha, but the elder two decided they needed to "refresh" themselves before their arrival Gaara didn't quite understand what they meant, but he had never bothered to understand the rituals of his family before. He had watched as Temari painted her nails, something she would never do at home, something that was never mentioned at home.

--

_"Kankuro,"_ Gaara had pulled his brother aside while Temari was busy. _"Why does she do that? What is the purpose?"_

_"It's a girl thing. She's doing it to look 'pretty' for her pet deer, not that he'll ever notice such an insignificant thing." _ Kankuro smirked. _"She should work on that attitude instead."_

_"I heard that, Kankuro."_ Temari had growled in response.

_"Do all females do such things, then?" _ Gaara had turned his questions to Temari.

_"Well, some do, some don't. I used to think it was stupid too, but…you do strange things…when you're in love." _An uncharacteristic flush crossed Temari's face. "_Those girls that follow you…they do everything they can to get your attention. They dress how they think you'd like, paint their pretty faces up, douse themselves with imported perfumes. It's stupid, but we do it anyway." _ Temari had a glint in her eye as she lowered her voice. "_Don't let your brother fool you; he wants to look his best just as much as I do."_

"_Why would those things attract anyone..?" _Gaara frowned in confusion.

_"Gaara, don't worry about it so much," _Temari gave her brother a gentle hug. "_Those idiot women have no idea that you hate perfume or that you could care less how much makeup they have on. They'll persist, and they might still try even if you were to pick a mate. It's a part of dealing with humanity. Nobody ever said it was easy."_

_"Or you could just take a few of them in a back alley…" _Kankuro grinned lecherously.

"_Not everyone is as perverted as you," _Temari glared at him. "_If Gaara isn't interested, encouraging them in any way—sexual or not—will only make it worse_."

"_Hey, I never said I'd do a thing like that, just throwing it out there."_ Kankuro shrugged.

--

For the first time since he started sleeping and dreaming, Gaara chose to remain awake of his own volition. No dreams were going to bother him until he could figure out _why_ they were bothering him. He dug through Temari's bottles of polish until he came across a sparkling green one and closed his fingers around it.

"How foolish…" One by one, his nails became the color of summer leaves. Gaara's lips twisted into an amused smirk. "This color…does not suit me…at all…"

…_but I like it._


	2. What is Love?

A/N: This chapter contains scene shifts (much like the anime does) that are likely happening nearly simultaneously, so please keep this in mind while reading. :)

--

Gaara walked through the village slowly, ignoring the curious and frightened looks of the passers-by. These reactions were nothing unusual and Gaara preferred it that way. No strangers would dare bother him and women didn't follow him around. Temari and Kankuro went their own separate ways after informing Tsunade of their arrival. Instead of going to a library or book shop where he would undoubtedly have to ask for help from a civilian, Gaara began looking for the young leaf ninja that had already imparted so much wisdom on him. He recalled that his contemporary had an obsessive affinity for ramen and stopped as he came across Ichiraku.

"Where is Naruto?" Gaara's voice was so low and quiet that it was almost lost in the wind.

"Naruto? He hasn't shown up yet today, but he usually comes in around noon for lunch." Ayame smiled. "I can make you something if you'd like to wait for him here. It's on the house of course, Lord Kazekage."

"Beef." Gaara sat as an acknowledgement and waited. He glanced around the surrounding area and watched as people walked by. Anyone who lingered too long around him got a glare that said to move along. Almost as soon as he was served, as if the smell attracted him, Gaara noticed a blur of orange out of the corner of his eye.

"Gaara! What are you doing here?" Naruto perched beside him at the bar. "I haven't seen you since that time with the Akatsuki." Naruto turned to order his first bowl.

"I don't…understand." Gaara murmured as he ate from his own bowl and glanced at the green paint at his fingertips. Neither Temari nor Kankuro had said anything to him that morning regarding the color or the polish itself.

"Understand what?" Naruto scrunched his face.

"Ever since I lost that Shukaku…girls have been following me."

"That so, huh?" Naruto grinned. "Lucky you, it sounds like they _like_ you." Naruto's ramen arrived and he dug in.

"I have given my life to protect my villagers, and I would do so again." Gaara paused. "But I still do not understand their affection."

"Have they said anything to you?" Naruto muttered around his ramen.

"Most do not, but some brave ones do ask me if I'm 'seeing' anyone. Kankuro told me they want to 'date' me, but that I should be careful about agreeing to anything."

"Do you like any of them?"

"No. I want them to leave me alone." Gaara scowled.

"Aw, come on Gaara, I know you've changed these past few years. You should find someone to love, an individual to protect, not just your village as a whole."

"How can I 'love' someone when I don't even know how to _like_ anyone that way?" Gaara rubbed his forehead. "What's the difference anyway?"

"It feels good to have precious people. Mine are Iruka-sensei, Sakura, and, well…Sasuke."

"But Sasuke betrayed you." Gaara stared at him blankly.

"I don't believe it." Naruto put his utensils down. "Those sound ninja and Orochimaru planted the doubt in Sasuke's mind. They've got him thinking that he's right to want to kill his brother at any cost. Even if he went willingly…! After he avenges his family…he'll come back…" Naruto's unshed tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Even if I have to drag him back…"

"You're lonely, aren't you?"

"No…I still have Sakura and Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei...and you. All of my friends keep me from being lonely. I am hurt that Sasuke left like he did, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about him."

"Can you still say that it is love that makes you strong?" Gaara turned away from Naruto.

"Of course." Naruto grinned widely. "Now, those girls that are following you…"

--

Sakura left Tsunade's office shortly past noon and began looking for a place to go for lunch.

"Good afternoon, Sakura."

Sakura blinked as Rock Lee suddenly appeared in her path. She laughed and smiled at him cheerfully.

"Hello, Lee." Sakura continued on her way and knew Lee would walk along with her.

"I would like to speak with you, is that okay?"

"Sure."

"Sakura, do you like me?" Lee cocked his head as they walked.

"Lee, you know that I do."

"Then why will you not go out with me?" Lee stopped and nearly pouted. "It is not because of my eyebrows is it?"

"Lee, we've been through this. I like you as a friend but not like that. It has nothing to do with your appearance, so don't worry about that."

"But…"

"I know…when I first saw you, I did think they were weird." Sakura smiled and turned to him. "We've all grown up since then."

"My feelings have not changed…" Lee reached for her hands.

"That's exactly why you should doubt them…" Sakura took his hands in hers. "You liked me when you first saw me, but I only had eyes for Sasuke. I do still love him even though he's gone and so does Naruto. But I discovered that I do love Naruto too."

"I…I see." Lee let her release his hands as they started walking again.

"I just don't want to hurt you, Lee. I already have two people in my heart, I know what it's like to obsess over someone and get nothing in return. You deserve someone who only has eyes for you."

"Such a person…does not exist." Lee frowned, a rare sadness in his eyes.

"You'll find someone, but first you have to open your eyes to other people. There are plenty of people in this village alone, and plenty more outside of it."

"In my experience, most of the girls here do not think much of me." Lee rubbed his neck and watched the people they passed by. "It has been that way since my childhood."

"Kids are like that…and we're still young. We try to act grown up, but the truth is we _are_ kids as far as the world is concerned." Sakura set a gloved hand on his shoulder. "If someone can't see what a wonderful person you are and rejects you without getting to know you, that person isn't worth pining over."

"You are right of course, Sakura." Lee lowered his eyes.

"I know I never gave you a fair chance, but I wouldn't want you to feel I only was with you out of guilt or obligation, and I know you wouldn't want me to feel like I had to, right?"

"Right."

"Hey, what about Tenten on your team?" Sakura suggested.

"No, she likes Neji."

"Oh? Does Neji like her back?"

"Yeah, but he will not admit it to her, or anyone. You would not know by listening to him." Lee reverted into a wistful smile. "But the way he looks at her lately…"

"Hey," Sakura interrupted him. "The Sand siblings must be visiting, I hadn't heard anything about it from Lady Tsunade...Look, Gaara's eating lunch with Naruto."

"Hm? Gaara is here?" The look on Lee's face changed from somewhat depressed to something almost eager. Sakura raised an eyebrow as Lee visibly perked up and held a hand to her mouth with a blush as she watched him catch sight of Gaara in the distance. He heard a soft gasp from her and turned. "Sakura? What is it, are you okay?"

"Come with me." Sakura grabbed his hand and dragged him into a building.

--

"You see, Gaara, it's very easy to develop a crush on someone." Naruto paused at Gaara's confused look. "It's hard to explain, but a crush can be like a false kind of love, but it can also develop into more serious feelings. Ah…for example…Well, take Shikamaru and your sister. It's obvious they like each other and it's more than just a crush—the feelings are reciprocated between them, but they act like nothing's going on."

"Yes, I too noticed my sister's strange behavior."

"And I don't believe that you need to know how to _like_ someone, it just happens." Naruto finished his third bowl.

"Kankuro laughed at me when I told him I missed being feared by them. Naruto, what is the difference? You have not explained."

"Difference?"

"Between liking someone as a friend and liking someone as a potential mate."

"Ah, that's tricky. Well, you like me, right? But I don't think you're attracted to me…at least I don't think you are." Naruto blushed and laughed. "When you like someone enough to want to be their boyfriend or husband, usually there's a more physical desire between you…"

"Kankuro also told me people don't have to love each other to have sex." Gaara stated bluntly. "I don't see how physical attraction could lead to love."

"Well, that's true…but not always. Some people will only do that with people they love, and some don't. See, everyone's different about things like that…" Naruto coughed and looked towards the road.

"How do you feel attraction? What is it like?"

"Well, it's sort of like…you want to be near a person and want more than just casual touching with that person. More than, say, a handshake, or even a hug. Hugs can be tricky, but you might find yourself wanting to embrace that person for no reason at all. You're right though, attraction is not the same as love, but it's a part of it."

"…Love is complicated." Gaara frowned.

"Yeah, it really is!" Naruto laughed and gave the redhead a pat on the back.

--

"Sakura, what is the matter? Why are we here?" Lee blinked in confusion as Sakura let go of his hand.

"Lee, tell me honestly, how do you feel about Gaara?" Sakura paused as she mulled over her words. "Taking _everything_ in consideration from the first time you met."

"From the beginning? I knew he was strong, even before our match. Afterwards…I wanted to hate him for what he did…" Lee unconsciously held his left arm protectively. "I wanted to, but the more I thought about it, I could not. Had Gaara not broken his gourd into sand when he did, I might actually have killed him." Lee lowered his eyes in shame. "And he would have had no one to save _him_ if he had hit the ground full force."

"But instead, you got nearly killed twice by him and had to risk your life a third time just to stay a ninja" Sakura pointed out, not to be mean, but to remind him.

"Yes, but a ninja always faces certain death—that is unavoidable, and I am stronger for my trials." Lee smiled at her. "But I could never blame Gaara for wanting to kill me, not when I know in my heart it was partially my own stubborn nature at fault."

"What do you think of him now?"

"Well, he saved me when Sasuke ran off, and even though I had forgiven him before then, I was only too happy to return the favor when his precious student was captured, though he did end up saving _me_ again instead…" Lee rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "I haven't gotten to talk to him since he died…we had to leave soon after we all returned to Suna. It was so unlike me not to say anything…If you do not mind, Sakura, I would like to say hello before he disappears again."

"Oh," Sakura choked back a laugh. "Of course, Lee. Hey, why don't you ask him to join your training today?"

"Yes! That is an excellent idea, Sakura! Let us go see if they are still there." The two of them left the shop and smiled for very different reasons.

--

Gaara decided to get down to the heart of the matter for his visit to Konoha and looked seriously at his blond friend.

"Do you know much about dreams?"

"I know I've had some weird ones over the years, why?" Naruto scrunched his face.

"I have been having strange dreams of flowers and water." Gaara looked over his bowl in contemplation.

"Flowers? You should talk to Ino, she knows more about that stuff." Naruto paused to take a bite of ramen. "Is there something else?"

"My dreams make me feel strange emotions. I wanted…no, I needed to come to Konoha."

"Yeah," Naruto's eyes lowered. "They can do that sometimes." Gaara gave him a questioning look as he swirled the noodles around. Naruto blinked and shook his head. "But hey, that means you missed us right? It always feels good to visit your friends."

"Friends…yes…" Gaara furrowed his brow as he began to realize he would still have to do some research to find the meanings of his dream. Naruto glanced up from his fifth bowl of ramen and grinned. Gaara watched as he turned around and focused his attention on something else.

"Hey, Sakura! Bushy-brow!" He waved at them wildly as though his voice alone didn't get their attention. "Look who came to visit!"

"Welcome back to our village, Gaara." Sakura smiled. "Are things alright in Suna?"

"Hello there, Gaara, what brings you here today?" Lee chimed in.

"We needed a vacation…" Gaara replied in response to both questions.

"Gaara! I am about to meet my youthful teammates for afternoon training, will you join us?" Gaara regarded Lee slowly and stood.

"Will that annoying sensei of yours be there?"

"Guy-sensei is not annoying!" Lee protested.

"Hm."

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other as they saw a quick smile pass on Gaara's face as Lee defended his sensei.

"Goodbye for now, Sakura, Naruto." Lee waved as he led Gaara to Team Guy's training grounds.

"I didn't imagine that, did I Sakura?" Naruto frowned.

"No, I saw it too." Sakura leaned and kissed Naruto's cheek. "I'll catch up with you later; I have something I need to do." Thoughts of lunch forgotten, Sakura ran to find Tenten before she could meet up with her team.


End file.
